


Chiaroscuro

by PipTheMagnificent



Series: Zutara Week 2020 [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bossy Katara, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Tattoos, Zutara Week, Zutara Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:21:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25551994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PipTheMagnificent/pseuds/PipTheMagnificent
Summary: Fire Lady Katara has just returned from a diplomatic mission, and she comes with a special gift for Zuko.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zutara Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1849897
Kudos: 51





	Chiaroscuro

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Day 2 of Zutara Week 2020. The prompt was Counterpart.

Katara’s smile as she races down the gangplank is more than bright enough to earn her Zuko’s forgiveness for leaving him all alone for a month. “Zuko!” She leaps at him, and he stumbles as he tries to keep them both upright. “I missed you!” She burrows her head into his neck. 

“I missed you too.” He can’t keep his mouth from smiling disgustingly wide, which is so undignified for the Fire Lord. Azula would laugh at him if she saw him. But she’s not here, and Katara is, so he gives up on trying to control it and just smiles, clasping her hand in his as they begin the walk to the palace, surrounded by the Royal Guard. 

She nudges him slightly. “I brought something back for you.’ She has her scheming face on, and Zuko’s mind immediately jumps to the worst case scenario. 

“Katara, I told you. We don’t have room for more pets. The servants are complaining enough about the tiger monkey poop in the atrium.”

“It’s not a pet. Although…” she strokes her chin teasingly, and he groans. “No, it’s not a pet. I think you’ll like it better.” 

“I hope so.” He rolls his eyes, and she smacks his arm. 

“Stop! You love the tiger monkeys. But this is a special surprise. I’ll show you when we can be alone. The bedroom, probably.” 

“Why the bedroom?” Zuko asks, not sure if he wants to know. He’s a little afraid, and a little turned on. She winks at him. 

“You’ll see.” 

Zuko exists in a state of curiosity as they make it to the palace, greet everyone, and finally enter the bedroom. There’s still the welcoming banquet later, but Katara is vibrating with poorly-concealed excitement, and she basically drags him straight there. 

“Okay, okay,” he laughs as she pulls him through the anteroom and into their room, closing the door behind them. “What’s the surprise?” 

“Nope,” she says, popping the’ p’ loudly. “Sit on the bed. Eyes closed.”

“What?” 

“And don’t open your eyes until I tell you to.” 

Zuko sits obediently, heart racing in his ears. He hears clothes rustling, and when she finally tells him to open his eyes, she’s in only a robe, facing away from him. She lets the robe drop, revealing a swath of brown skin and ink. He sucks in a breath as he stares at the two dragons intertwined and dancing along her back. One’s red, and the other blue. Equal counterparts, just like the two of them. He stretches out a hand, just barely brushing the skin of her back, tracing the lines of the tattoo. 

“Is it permanent?” He asks and she nods, then giggles nervously, sending vibrations down her back that he can feel in the tips of his fingers. 

“You better like it, because it’s not coming off.”

“I love it.” He says it reverently, and she turns around, smiling down at him. She’s still shirtless, the robe tied around her waist. He’s struck by her beauty, as he is every time, and his arms reach up to grab her shoulders as she climbs into his lap. “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” she says, and kisses him, twining her fingers into his hair and making him groan in appreciation. 

“Stop,” he manages to get out. “We have a dinner to get to.” 

She narrows her eyes at him slyly. “Do we really have to go?” 

He laughs, long and low, and presses his forehead against hers. “You’re sort of the guest of honor. Can’t forget our ‘Fire Lady Just Returned from a Diplomatic Mission’, can we?”

“Spoilsport,” she says, and grinds down on his hips slightly, making his breath catch. 

“I suppose we can be a little late…” he whispers. 

“I’ve heard being fashionably late is a good thing,” she says slyly, and pushes him back onto the bed.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, that was as close as I'll ever get to writing smut lol. I hope you all enjoyed it! It was more like a drabble today, but I felt it ended in a good spot, so I didn't want to extend it. 
> 
> Chiaroscuro is a painting term. In Italian, it translates literally to light dark, and it refers to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark in order to add dimension and interest to the painting. Zutara anyone? Their separate light and dark parts balance out perfectly to create a beautiful painting. Cheesy but true…


End file.
